Nigeria's renowned Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has described Nigeria as
sick and empty, deserving of the term “shithole” as described by US President, Donald J. Trump. Soyinka said this while speaking
at the Ripples Nigerian Dialogue titled “Rebuilding trust in a Divided
Nigeria,” held at The Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Excerpts from his speech;

“We have become laughing stocks in the eyes of the public. “We
have earned the term of shithole. Nigeria is sick and empty. Some
retrogressive forces won’t just stop. Everything Nigeria touches rusts.”

“The
treatment of Nigerians by the military led me to relocating to a saner
clime. I remember invading Obasanjo’s residence in Lagos and challenging
him concerning the way Nigerians were being treated. It is a disgrace
to us, as a nation. We have been left behind in nearly every field.

“There
are lessons to be learnt from the diaspora. We need to peep across the
Atlantic to see how other countries have been faring,” Soyinka said.

Drawing
illustrations from his lecture titled “From Miyetti to Haiti: Notes
from a Solidarity Visit,” Soyinka emphasized the need to end slavery in
our society. He emphasized the need of looking in the
mirror to solve Nigerian problems and encouraged youths to resist the
passage of the Hate Speech bill.